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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Au Naturale

Since natural beauty products are becoming more en vogue these days and the ever-present threat of toxic chemicals in cheap products always seems to linger in the back of my mind when I pick up a new $2 lipstick (and because I'm susceptible to trends and advice from strangers via their blogs) I've been wondering, should I go with more natural beauty products?

I gave you my rave review about making my own mud scrub and that worked out well, but what about shampoos? Is sulfate going to make my hair fall out? No, but it probably isn't doing any good for my scalp or eczema. Will the toxins in lipstick give me lead poisoning? Maybe if I sat down and ate it like a pack of cherry lifesavers, but I think I can restrain myself. But would I rather be safe than sorry? Yes, yes I would.

All in moderation. You won't see me chucking my deodorant out the window, but slowly I'm using up what's left of my regular stock and moving on to something better for my health. It also goes well with my 24 Before 25 List in getting rid of beauty products that aren't absolutely essential. So here's what I'm thinking so far:

By recommendation of Joanna Goddard via A Cup Of Jo I really want to try Mama Bee Body Oil, and I was sold on Kiss My Face's shampoo until I smelled it. A leetle too "herby" for my olfactories. I guess my strands will have to suffer with sulfate until I can find a better alternative. I really want to try Paul Mitchell's Awapuhi and Wild Ginger after a visit to the salon, but my wallet says no. You can see all of her organic beauty picks here.

I also did a quick search on lead-free lipsticks and it turns out that one of my favorite brands: Clinique (who is also scent and allergen free) makes lovely colors sans poison. The Body Shop also makes some great shades that I would love to take for a test drive.

Are you concerned with toxins in your beauty products? My only recommendation would be to do your research rather than taking Whole Food's word for it. I even went to Bliss Tree and after they published a story on Lipsticks Without Lead they discovered after publishing that a Burt's Bee's product still had lead in it. It's kind of a difficult commitment to make right now, but hopefully cosmetics companies start doing the right thing, and natural products in the mean time will pay off.